Hey, folks. It's that time again - time to start thinking about Test
Days for Fedora 18.
For anyone who isn't aware, a Test Day is an event usually focused
around IRC for interaction and a Wiki page for instructions and results,
with the aim being to get a bunch of interested users and developers
together to test a specific feature or area of the distribution. You can
run a Test Day on just about anything for which it would be useful to do
some fairly focused testing in 'real time' with a group of testers; it
doesn't have to be code, for instance we often run Test Days for
l10n/i18n topics. For more information on Test Days, see
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/QA/Test_Days .
Anyone who wants to can host their own Test Day, or you can request that
the QA group helps you out with organization, or any combination of the
two. To propose a Test Day, just file a ticket in QA trac - full details
are at https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/QA/Test_Days/Create . For
instructions on hosting a Test Day, see
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/QA/SOP_Test_Day_management .
You can see the schedule at
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/QA/Fedora_18_test_days . There are many
slots open right now, with the earliest on 2012-08-09 and the latest
2012-11-01. Consider the development schedule, though, in deciding when
you want to run your Test Day - for some topics you may want to avoid
the time before the Alpha release or the time after the feature freeze
or the Final freeze.
We normally aim to schedule Test Days on Thursdays; however, if you want
to run a series of related Test Days, it's often a good idea to do
something like Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday of the same week (this is
how we usually run the X Test Week, for instance). If all the Thursday
slots fill up but more people want to run Test Days, we will open up
Tuesday slots as overflows. And finally, if you really want to run a
Test Day in a specific timeframe due to the development schedule, but
the Thursday slot for that week is full, we can add a slot on another
day. We're flexible! Just put in your ticket the date or timeframe you'd
like, and we'll figure it out from there.
If you have any questions about the Test Day process, please don't
hesitate to contact me or any other member of the QA team on test@ or in
#fedora-qa on IRC. Thanks!
--
Adam Williamson
Fedora QA Community Monkey
IRC: adamw | Twitter: AdamW_Fedora | identi.ca: adamwfedora
http://www.happyassassin.net

In quick succession to the Fedora 18 "Spherical Cow" Alpha release on
primary architectures the Fedora Secondary Arch team proudly presents
the Fedora 18 "Spherical Cow" PowerPC Alpha release!
Already mooo-tivated to give F18 Alpha a try? Great! We still hope that
you'll read onwards; there are fabulous features in this release you may
want to know about, as well as important information regarding specific,
common F18 Alpha installation issues and bugs, all of which are detailed
in this release announcement.
*** What is the Alpha Release? ***
Fedora 18 adds many new and improved features for a variety of
audiences. The release annoucement for the primary architecture
already listed all the cool new features and commone known issues
and bugs, so please refer to
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/test-announce/2012-September/000...
for the details.
The highlight on the feature side for the PowerPC side this time is
* Power7 optimized ppc64p7 is added as a supported platform for
Fedora 18 packages.
* The installer uses tmux to switch between the installer window, a
bash prompt, and other windows which capture log files. Read more
about tmux here: http://tmux.sourceforge.net/
* The installer's command line parameters are changing. Read more about
the change here: http://wwoods.fedorapeople.org/doc/boot-options.html
* The name of the package group has changed from @base to @standard.
This will affect kickstart files as well.
*** Known Issues and Bugs for PowerPC ***
We know that many of you are moo-tivated to download and try the Alpha
release of "Spherical Cow"; to help you avoid stepping into any sticky
issues, we'd like to highlight a few specific issues, before you moooove
on to the downloads page. Information about these, and other common
bugs, including bug reports and workarounds for known issues where
available, are detailed on the Common F18 Bugs page, as well as in the
Alpha release notes; links to both pages are provided below.
**** Common issues ****
* Utilizing automatic partitioning during installation will reformat all
selected disks on which to install without any further warning; ALL
EXISTING DATA ON THE DISKS WILL BE LOST. At this time, there is no
option presented to use free space on the disks, or to resize existing
partitions. A workaround solution exists.
* This release features a new user interface for the anaconda installer,
which will significantly enhance the end-user installation experience.
Known issues relating to the new installer user interface include:
** For non-graphical installations, a root password must be set to be
able to login; for graphical installations, the first user should be set
as an adminstrative user. This is currently the default setup during
installation.
** There is no anaconda-based upgrade or preupgrade to F18 Alpha; if
you must upgrade an installed system, you should use yum.
** The new installer user interface is still undergoing work; the
Alpha release may not necessarily duplicate exactly the implementation
seen in the Final release of Fedora 18 in November.
**** PowerPC specific issues ****
* Due to a missing check in lorax the install images are currently being
built with a ppc64p7 kernel, so booting the install images on anything
smaller than Power7 will fail at the moment. This is something we're
going to fix asap after Alpha, so for Beta and RC the install images
will again contain the generic ppc64 kernel. A possible workaround for
older systems is to skip the install via anaconda and update a Fedora 17
to a Fedora 18 Alpha.
* Installation fails on multipath devices.
* If you want to install graphically using vnc, you must pass the
'inst.vnc' parameter to anaconda at boot time. The screen to start vnc
is no longer in anaconda
* It is not required to set the root password in the anaconda installer.
However, there is a defect where the firstboot utility is not performed
in text console boot after install. Therefore, you must set the root
password during install
For more information, including information about other common and known
bugs, tips on how to report bugs, and the official release schedule,
please refer to the release notes:
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_18_Alpha_release_notes
and for the PowerPC specific issues please check out
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_18_Alpha_PPC_release_notes
A shorter list of common bugs can be found here:
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Common_F18_bugs
*** Contributing ***
Great releases like Fedora 18 don't get made in a vacuum. We can't do it
without you! Bug reports are especially helpful as we move from the
theory to the applied physics. If you encounter any issues, please
report them!
Fedora is a fantastic, friendly community, and we have many ways in
which you can contribute, including Documentation, Marketing, Design,
QA, Development, and more.
To learn how to help us, visit: http://join.fedoraproject.org/
If you're specifically interested in contacting the Fedora Secondary
Arch team for PowerPC feel free to pay us a visit on the #fedora-ppc IRC
channel on FreeNode and via our email list:
https://admin.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/ppc
And we have our Secondary Arch wiki with (decently) updated information:
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Architectures/PowerPC
And last but not least, a big thanks to the whole team and everyone else
contributing to making this release happen.
Thanks & regards, Phil
--
Philipp Knirsch | Tel.: +49-711-96437-470
Manager Core Services | Fax.: +49-711-96437-111
Red Hat GmbH | Email: Phil Knirsch <pknirsch(a)redhat.com>
Hauptstaetterstr. 58 | Web: http://www.redhat.com/
D-70178 Stuttgart, Germany

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The Fedora 18 "Spherical Cow" Alpha release is plumping up! This release
offers a preview of some of the best free and open source technology
currently under development. Model a glimpse of the future:
http://fedoraproject.org/get-prerelease
Already mooo-tivated to give F18 Alpha a try? Great! We still hope that
you'll read onwards; there are fabulous features in this release you may
want to know about, as well as important information regarding specific,
common F18 Alpha installation issues and bugs, all of which are detailed
in this release announcement.
*** What is the Alpha Release? ***
Fedora 18 adds many new and improved features for a variety of
audiences. A small sample is included below; the full list of features
for this release can be seen on the Fedora 18 Feature List, here:
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/FeatureList
= On the Desktop =
* NetworkManager Hotspots improve the ability to use a computer's
WiFi adapter to create a network hot spot.
* The redesigned installation system adds flexibility to the
installation process while simplifying the user interface.
* Desktop updates galore: Gnome 3.6, KDE Plasma Workspace 4.9, Xfce
4.10, Sugar 0.98, and the introduction of the MATE Desktop in Fedora.
= For sysadmins =
* The Riak NoSQL database, a fault-tolerant and scalable database
system, is included for the first time in Fedora 18.
* Samba 4 adds SMB3 support and support for FreeIPA trusted domains.
* Offline system updates adds support for installing OS packages at
boot. This gives systems administrators the ability to upgrade important
libraries in a controlled manner.
* Fedora 18 will be able to easily join an Active Directory domain or
FreeIPA realm.
= For developers =
* The Python 3 stack is upgraded to version 3.3.
* Rails is upgraded from version 3.0 to version 3.2.
* Perl 5.16 adds Unicode 6.1 support.
* Power7 optimized ppc64p7 is added as a supported platform for
Fedora 18 packages.
= Cloud and Virtualization =
* OpenShift Origin brings Platform as a Service (PaaS) infrastructure
to Fedora.
* Eucalyptus gives Fedora the ability to support private,
AWS-compatible Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) clouds.
* Fedora 18 Alpha's OpenStack packages are synchronized with
"Folsom," the OpenStack release due near the end of September.
* Heat provides an API for orchestration of cloud applications using
file- or web-based templates, enabling a standardized method for
OpenStack users to launch applications in an OpenStack cloud. It is
currently an OpenStack related project.
* Virt Live Snapshots adds the ability to perform snapshots of QEMU
and libvirt virtual machines without having to stop the guest.
* The oVirt Engine is upgraded to version 3.1 and adds GUI tools.
*** Known Issues and Bugs ***
We know that many of you are moo-tivated to download and try the Alpha
release of "Spherical Cow"; to help you avoid stepping into any sticky
issues, we'd like to highlight a few specific issues, before you moooove
on to the downloads page. Information about these, and other common
bugs, including bug reports and workarounds for known issues where
available, are detailed on the Common F18 Bugs page, as well as in the
Alpha release notes; links to both pages are provided below.
* Utilizing automatic partitioning during installation will reformat all
selected disks on which to install without any further warning; ALL
EXISTING DATA ON THE DISKS WILL BE LOST. At this time, there is no
option presented to use free space on the disks, or to resize existing
partitions. A workaround solution exists.
* Some NVIDIA graphics adapters will have problems with the start or
display of the login manager or the desktop. This will prevent the user
from reaching a usable desktop, when booting the live image or an
installed system. In these cases, the login manager and/or desktop may
fail to appear at all, or may appear but with the cursor missing, and/or
visual corruption issues.
* This release features a new user interface for the anaconda installer,
which will significantly enhance the end-user installation experience.
Known issues relating to the new installer user interface include:
** For non-graphical installations, a root password must be set to be
able to login; for graphical installations, the first user should be set
as an adminstrative user. This is currently the default setup during
installation.
** There is no anaconda-based upgrade or preupgrade to F18 Alpha; if
you must upgrade an installed system, you should use yum.
** The new installer user interface is still undergoing work; the
Alpha release may not necessarily duplicate exactly the implementation
seen in the Final release of Fedora 18 in November.
For more information, including information about other common and known
bugs, tips on how to report bugs, and the official release schedule,
please refer to the release notes:
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_18_Alpha_release_notes
A shorter list of common bugs can be found here:
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Common_F18_bugs
*** Contributing ***
Great releases like Fedora 18 don't get made in a vacuum. We can't do it
without you! Bug reports are especially helpful as we move from the
theory to the applied physics. If you encounter any issues, please
report them!
Fedora is a fantastic, friendly community, and we have many ways in
which you can contribute, including Documentation, Marketing, Design,
QA, Development, and more.
To learn how to help us, visit: http://join.fedoraproject.org/
Thank you, and we hope to see you in the Fedora Project!
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Greetings!
As the Fedora Documentation Project prepares the release notes for
Fedora 18, we'd like to ask for your help. Each Fedora release marks
the inclusion of new features and the retirement of others, and with
the help of the development community, we won't skip a beat. The Docs
team would like you to assign us some homework.
The release notes are divided up into categories, or 'beats.' Each
beat is kept by a volunteer who follows mailing lists, changelogs,
announcements, and features in the space. Many beats also have a
developer point of contact for technical questions and cooperation. We
track these responsibilities with
http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Category:Documentation_beats , which
includes links out to wiki pages for each individual beat. As we
reach the end of the release cycle, developers and docs maintainers
populate these pages, then they are converted from wiki markup to
Docbook XML and published. With a little help, we can put out release
notes that can't be beat.
If you're working on something for Fedora, we'd like to make sure
you get the credit you deserve. Leave us a quick note on a beats page,
send it to our mailing list (
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/mailman/listinfo/docs ), or join us in
#fedora-docs. You don't need to worry about language and composition
or even spelling - just let us know what you've been working on that
you'd like documented and we'll take it from there.
We *really* don't want you to beat yourself up about presentation.
A simple "make sure you mention this new feature" is enough. We're
happy to do the research and compose the prose. Knowing where to start
writing makes the process considerably more efficient, just as a brief
note on hundreds of features from each developer is more effective
than a handful of docs maintainers trying to follow all of hundreds of
features.
Thanks for helping us represent your work to the users,
Pete Travis,
The Fedora Docs Team

Join us on irc.freenode.net in #fedora-meeting-1 for this important
meeting, wherein we shall determine the readiness of the Fedora 18 Alpha.
Thursday, September 13, 2012 @19:00 UTC (15:00 EDT/21:00 CEST)
"Before each public release Development, QA and Release Engineering meet
to determine if the release criteria are met for a particular release.
This meeting is called the Go/No-Go Meeting."
"Verifying that the Release criteria are met is the responsibility of
the QA Team."
For more details about this meeting see:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Go_No_Go_Meeting
In the meantime, keep an eye on the Fedora 18 Alpha Blocker list:
http://qa.fedoraproject.org/blockerbugs/current
--
Jaroslav Řezník <jreznik(a)redhat.com>
Your schedule wrangler
Office: +420 532 294 275
Mobile: +420 602 797 774
Red Hat, Inc. http://www.redhat.com/

Join us on irc.freenode.net in #fedora-meeting-1 for this important
meeting, wherein we shall determine the readiness of the Fedora 18 Alpha.
As previously announced last week, we moved Go/No-Go two hours earlier.
Thursday, September 06, 2012 @21:00 UTC (15:00 EDT/21:00 CEST)
"Before each public release Development, QA and Release Engineering meet
to determine if the release criteria are met for a particular release.
This meeting is called the Go/No-Go Meeting."
"Verifying that the Release criteria are met is the responsibility of
the QA Team."
For more details about this meeting see:
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Go_No_Go_Meeting
In the meantime, keep an eye on the Fedora 18 Alpha Blocker list:
http://qa.fedoraproject.org/blockerbugs/current
--
Jaroslav Řezník <jreznik(a)redhat.com>
Your Schedule Wrangler
Office: +420 532 294 275
Mobile: +420 602 797 774
Red Hat, Inc. http://www.redhat.com/